The first hurdle has been passed, and the Houston Astros are officially the team to beat in the AL. The Indians, in this series with New York, have proved that they're relatively human, and they can be beaten. The Sox only chased Houston one game, and the Astros still managed to eliminate them, by being two steps ahead and as powerful as they've been all year. It'll be interesting to see how they take on either the Yankees or Indians.
As for the departed...
Sad to say, the Sox never really had a chance. They were the odd men out, the third option of two vastly superior division leaders, and they would have been eliminated no matter who they played. They put up a good fight, and Andrew Benintendi had a nice run at things yesterday, but in the end it boiled down to the same thing it boiled down to last year...they don't have near enough to compete.
Meanwhile...
People are saying there was no doubt that this could happen. Well, I had doubts. If you'll recall, I predicted the Diamondbacks to beat the Dodgers so badly they'd be catapulted into the World Series. Looking back on this three game sweep, I should have been a bit more optimistic in the Dodgers' abilities, and less reliant on that big slump they had towards the end. They've definitely still got it, and the pitching, even with Clayton Kershaw giving up home runs, is shutting them all down. It's looking like this NLCS miiiiiight be a rematch, but I'm thinking whoever they play, they're likely to have the high ground.
And, as for the departed...
As powerful as the Diamondbacks could be this season, it turned out to be their own division that did them in, and in a year where three teams wanted desperately to compete, it would have been tough for them to get a word in edgewise, especially with the Dodgers' season. I think people like Paul Goldschmidt, Zack Greinke and David Peralta were definitely able to extend this team's season by a week, and they should be very proud of how far they came...and very concerned, as they're expected to go further next year.
Alright. Enough certainty. Let's go into the ones still going on...
First of all, HOW ABOUT THOSE NEW YORK YANKEES? Second game in a row where the odds were against us, and we tore through. It did help that Trevor Bauer was on short rest (which seems to be a theme with him), but people like Greg Bird, Aaron Judge and Todd Frazier have been annihilating the ball, and Luis Severino had an amazing night on the mound. Wednesday night is for all the marbles, and it'll be Corey Kluber, who we...roughed up Friday night, and Sonny Gray, who people also have a tendency to rough up. I'm gonna be hoping for the best, but also...even if the Indians win, I can root for them. They're cool.
And in the NL,
I think the message I'm getting here is that maybe the Nationals aren't really cut out for the postseason, no matter the year. Either that, or the Cubs have just been getting hot at the right time, as even with Max Scherzer on the mound, Albert Almora and Ben Zobrist went wild, pushing the Cubs over the Nats, and allowing for a lead going into Game 4 today. The Cubs will have Jake Arrieta on the mound. The Nats will have Tanner Roark. At a glance, Arrieta is the safer bet, but you honestly never know.
Tonight, we may have a full NLCS matchup. I'll alert you with details if so.
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